Twin portable tubs and supports therefor



Sept. 4, 1945. H. E.- MEYER 2,384,112

TWIN PbRTABLE TUBS AND SUPPORTS THEREFOR Filed April 2, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE -INTOR HARVEY'E'MEYER Sept. 4, 19 45. H. E. MEYER2,384,112

TWIN PORTABLE IUBS AND SUPPORTS THEREFOR Filed April 2, 1941 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HAnyzv a; MEYER ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 4, 1945OFFICE TWIN PORTABLE TUBS AND SUPPORTS THEREFOR Harvey E. Meyer, KansasCity, Mo. Application April 2, 1941, Serial No. 386,483

2 Claims.

My invention relates to portable tubs, and more particularly to twinportable tubs.

It is highly desirable in connection with home laundry work to have apair of tubs in close adjacency to each other, and it is also desirableto have the tubs portable. In order that the tubs could be placed closertogether and more easily moved from place to place without tipping, itis desirable that the portable tubs be mounted in pairs so as to havecommon supporting means. While frameworks have been previously providedon which a pair of tubs was mounted in close adjacency, so that the samewere fixed to the framework, a rather expensive framework was necessaryin order to mount the tubs in pairs in such close adjacency, so that thesame could be moved together as a unit. While single portable tubs havebeen previously provided, that were mounted directly on legs, so as toavoid the necessity of any additional framework, the advantage ofmounting a pair of tubs on the same set of legs was largely lost, froman economy standpoint, because of the fact that additional frameworkwasnecessary to mount the pair of tubs on the legs, which made the costof production of a pair of tubs so united to be movable about as a unitat least as great or greater than the cost of production of two separateportable tubs.

It is a purpose of my invention to provide twin portable tubs that areso constructed and mounted that the same can be produced very cheaply,all supporting framework under the tubs between the legs being dispensedwith, and that are mounted firmly on the portable supporting means infixed relation to each other, so as to bridge the space between theupper ends of the legs upon which the same aremounted, to pro videportability therefor, in a manner to form a beam-like member made up of'the tubs and the means fixedly securing the same together at theiradjacent portions, which is strong and which will support all of theweight required of the structure with an ample factor of safety.

More particularly my invention comprises clamping means, mounted betweenthe adjacent portions of a pair of tubs, securing the same together infixed relationship so that the pair of tubs form a unit extending fromone supporting means at the remote portion of one tub to the othersupporting means at the remote portion of the other tub that is ofsuflicient strength and rigidity 'to support any load to which the samemaybe subjected in normal use.

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide a portable twin tubstructure of the above mentioned character, that is provided withsupporting means comprising pairs of legs at remote ends of the pair'ofconnected tubs, which legs are connected near their lower ends by meansof bracing members that are angular in cross section and which aresecured to the legs at one end of each thereof," and which are securedtogether at their other ends to unite'thesame at the junction points-ofthe diagonal braces, firmly in fixed relation to each other,.saidbracing means and said legs and the clamping means, above referred to,being made up of members of such lengththat the same can be readilyinserted within 'oneof the tubs of the pair-andthe tubs nested soias .tomake a compact package'for'shipmentfrom the place of manufacture totheplace of use or sale, and providing a package that can be shipped :ata much lower freight rate than tubs mounted on a frame which mustbe'left set up, or partly set arranged for use in connection with whatare,

commonly known as. square" tubs. 2

Fig. 2 is a similar view, partly broken away, showing-my invention asused in connectionwith what are commonly referred to as round tubs.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional viewon an enlarged scale through theclamping means utilizedin'Fig. 1, showing fragmentaryportions'of thetubswith which the clamping means engage. v

Fig. 4 is a top plan viewof the lower plateof the clamping means shownin, Fig.3, taken on somewhat smaller scale than Fig. 3. a

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the upperplate, or

bar, of the clamping means shown in Fig.- -3, taken on the same scale asFig. 4. V Fig.6 is a section taken on the line lie-6 of Fig. 4, on anenlarged scale.

I Fig, '7 is a section taken on the line "l1 of Fig. 5, on an enlargedscale.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section throughthe top clamping means and thesquare tubs engaged thereby. W W

Fig. 9 is a view similar toFig. 4, of the bottom clamping plate utilizedin conjunction with round tubs. I

Fig.10 is a view similar .to. Fig. 5 of the top clamping plate utilizedin conjunction with round tubs.

Fig. 11 is a section taken on the line of Fig. 9, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 12 is a section taken on the line |2l2 of Fig. 10, on an enlargedscale.

Fig, 13 i a fragmentary section through the top clamping means and theround tubs engaged thereby.

Fig. 14 is a detail horizontal sectional view of means for securing theadjacent ends of the diagonal bracing means to each other. 7

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary section taken on the line |-|5 of Fig. 14, thesecuring element being shown in elevation.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in horizontal section, ofthe connection between the bracing means and the legs, and

Fig. 17 is a vertical sectional view through the annular body portion ofone of said bracing members.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in Fig. 1 is shown a pair of tubs2| and 22, which are identical in shape and size, and which are what iscommonly known as square tubs. As is obvious, said tubs have inclinedsides, so that the bottom ortion thereof is somewhat smaller than thetop portion thereof, and ordinarily such tubs are provided with beads 23running around the top thereof, that may be made in any desired manner,and which follow the contour of the tub at its top edge. While thesetubs are referred to as square tubs, the same are not actually square,but have straight sideportions 24, that are connected with each other bymeans of curved portions 25, the beads, of course, having similarstraight and curved portions.

Said tubs are arranged with one of the straight side faces of onethereof in adjacency with the straight side face of the other tub, andare provided with legs 26 at the ends, or portions thereof that areremote from those portions that are adjacent each other, said legs beingprovided substantially at the rounding corner portions 25 that areremote from the adjacent sides of said tubs. The legs 26 divergeslightly away from each other in all directions, so as to providegreater stability for the unit made up of the portable unit comprisingthe pair of tubs,'with, of course, the lower ends thereof more widelyspaced from each other than the upper ends thereof. The upper ends ofthe legs are secured, by any suitable clamping means 20, to the tubsadjacent the bottoms thereof, this clamping means not forming a part ofthis invention and being well known, the flanges depending from thebottoms of said tubs, which are shown at 21 in Fig. 3, being utilized toclamp the legs to the tubs, it being obvious that the clamping means canbe readily engaged with shoulders formed by means of said flanges, so asto fix the legs to the tubs in depending diverging relation, as abovereferred to. 1

In order to dispense with all the underframes for the tubs and to makethe tubs self-supporting on said legs, I provide clamping means forfixedly securing the adjacent portions of the tubs to each other so thatthe tubs will form a rigid bridging or beam-like member in conjunctionwith said clamping means, extending from one pair of legs 26 at one endof the unit to the other pair of legs 26 at the other end of the unit.Said clamping means for the so-called square tubs is shown more indetail in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and com-- prises a lower clampingplate 28, which ha flanges 29 thereon projecting upwardly from thelongitudinal edges of said clamping plate, said clamping plate havingcurved edged enlargements at the opposite ends thereof and said flangeshaving curved portions 30 that extend along the edges of said curvededged enlargements, so as to follow the contour and interfit withsimilarly curved. portions on the depending flanges 2'! on the tubs 2|and 22. The straight portions of the flanges 29, .of course, fit thestraight portions of the flanges 21 that lie at the bottom edges of thestraight walls 24, and the curved portions 30 of the flanges follow thecontour of and engage the curved portions of the flanges 21 lying at thebottom edges of the curved wall portions 25 of said tubs that areadjacent each other. Thus the bottom plate 28 is mounted in interfittingrelation to the bottoms of the adjoining tubs, with the flanges 29 and21 in inter-engagement with each other, so as to prevent any tendency ofthe tubs 2| and 22 to separate at their bottom edges. Also any tendencyof the tubs to get out of transverse alignment with each other isavoided, due to the curved flange portions 30 cooperating with thecorrespondingly curved flange portionsdepending from the tubs 2| and 22.

Said clamping means further comprises a top clamping plate 3|, which issubstantially channel-shaped in cross section, with straight parallelflanges 32 depending therefrom throughout the major portions of theirlength and engaging the inner sides of the straight portions of thebeads 23 at the top edges of the walls 24 of the tubs 2| and 22 that lieadjacent each other. Said top clamping plates 3| are provided with endenlargements having curved side edges 33 that have curved portions 34 ofthe flanges 32 depending therefrom, said curved flange portions 34engaging the inner sides of the curved portions of the beads 23 in amanner clearly evident from Figs. 1 and 8. Referring to Figs. 5 and -8it will be noted that'the enlarged ends 33 have offset portions 43therein defining diverging curved grooves l9, receiving the beads 23therein at the curved top edge portions of the tubs. All tendency forthe tubs to get out of'alignment with each other longitudinally of theclamping plate 3| and to move toward each other is avoided, due to thesecurved grooves |9 thereon that engage said beads 23 at the curvedortions thereof to prevent any shifting of the tubs relative to theclamping plates 3| lengthwise and transversely of said clamping plates,the flanges32 on the plates 3| preventing any separation of the tubs andthe clamping plates and tubs thus being fixed relative to each other.

The clamping plates 28 and 3| are provided with openings 35 and 36,respectively,that align with, each other, through which the headedscrew-threaded securing elements 31 extend to firmly clamp theplate-like members 28 and 3| to the tubs and thus rigidly fix the tubsto each other at their adjacent portions, said fastening elements 31being made in the form of long headed rod-like members receiving thenuts 38 on the screw-threaded ends thereof.

The-clamping plates 28 are, preferably, provided with aplurality oftransverse stiifening formations 39 and a plurality of longitudinalstiffening flanges 40, and with transverse stiffening flanges 4| alongtheir opposite end edges. The wide end portions of the clamping plates3| are also provided with stiffening flanges 42, similar to the flanges4|, and theoflfset portions 43, in which the openings 36 are located.The

The legs 26 are, of course, provided with casters 44, which are mountedin any desired manner, as with the upstanding stem portionsthereofmounted in openings 45 in the legs, such as shown in Fig. 16. Adjacentthe bottom ends of the legs 26 bracing membersare provided, comprisingthe transverse bracing members 46 and the obliquely or diagonallyextending bracing members 41. The bracing members 46" and the bracingmembers 41 are all made angular in cross section, as illustrated for theone bracing member 41 in Fig. 17. However, the ends thereof areflattened, as shown at 48 in Figs. 14, and 16, and said flattened ends48 of a diagonal bracing member 41 and of a transverse bracing member 46are secured to each leg 26 in the manner shown in Fig. 16, the flattenedportions 48 being perforated to receive the headed screw-threadedsecuring element 49, and the leg portions 26 being shaped so as .tobecome substantially U-shaped in cross section at their lower ends forreceiving the flattened end portions 48 of the braces 46 and 41 betweenthe parallel leg portions of said U- shaped ortion of said leg.

Four of the members 41 comprise a diagonal bracing means, and these aresecured together at their meeting ends in the manner shown in Figs. 14and 15, said members being made in this manner and secured together attheir junction so that the entire portable tub device can be readilycompactly packed for shipment. The tub 2| can be nested in the tub 22,or vice versa, when these are separate, such as when the clamping meansare not in place, and all the parts, including the legs 26, upon releaseof the clamping means 20, the braces 45, the braces 41, and the clampingmeans 28, 3| and 31 can be placed within one of the nested tubs, thesame being all of such length as to be no greater than the greatestdiameter of the tub 2| or 22.

The means for securing the adjacent ends of the diagonal braces 41together comprises a pair of channel members 50, which are arranged backto back, and which have flaring or diverging flanges 5|, thus providingtapering grooves, having their narrowest transverse dimension at thebottoms thereof, on opposite sides faces of said clamping means. Saidchannel-shaped members 50 can be permanently secured together back toback, if desired, or can be made as shown in Fig. 14, in which each ofsaid channel-shaped members has a lug 52 struck out from the material ofsaid member, which engages in a slot 53 of the other of said members, soas to hold said pair of members 50 from any longitudinal movementrelative to each other, any other suitable means for preventing suchlongitudinal movement being also usable, of course, but the particularmeans shown being economical in manufacture and cheap, while serving thepurpose satisfactorily. The flattened end portions 48 of said bracingmembers 41 are mounted in the grooves formed between the flanges 5|, andthe screw-threaded headed fastening elements 54 are passed throughaligning openings in the flattened portions 48 and channel members 50,and tightened up to firmly clamp the flattened ends in the taperinggrooves formed by means of the flanges 5|, to thus firmly fix thediagonal bracing (ill members 41 to eachother at their Junction and:

gform a substantially X-shaped unitary brace thereof extending from one,pair of .legs 26 to the,

other 'pair of legs 26. Y I

. In Fig. 2 my invention isshown as modified for use in connectipn withround tubs. The legs 26 are secured in the samemanner as previouslydescribed and are provided with similar bracing means to those showninFig. 1, and these accordingly are not again shown, said legs beingsecured in a similar manner to that previously referred to. The tubs 2|and 22 are provided witha circular top edge that has thebead 23' thereonand flanges 21, similar to 'theflange 21, depend from the roundedbottoms of the tubs,

said tubs flaring upwardly in a similar'mannerto that of the squaretypeof tub shown in Fig. 1, as will be obvious from Fig. 2.

A bottom clamping plate 28' and a top clamping plate 3|, securedtogether by means of the headed screw-threaded securing members 31, areprovided for fixedly securing the adjacent portions of the tubs 2| and22' to each other. The clamping plates 28 and 3| are shown more indetail in Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. Said clamping plate 28 has a pairof concavely curved edge portions, which are provided with upstandingcurved flanges 55, which are curved on the same are as the dependingperipheral flanges 21 on the tubs 2| and 22' and fit around thesein asimilar manner to the flanges 29 and 30, previously described inconnection with Figs. 1, and 3 to 8, inclusive. stiffening formations39, similar to the formations 39, and openings 35 are provided, as inthe form of the invention previously described, and longitudinalstiffening formations the tubs 2| and 22. Said clamping plate is alsoprovided with the end flanges 42, similar to the flanges 42, forstiffening the same, and with offset portions 43', said offsets 43 andflanges 51 defining curved grooves l9 receiving the beads 23' therein tohold the tubs in flxed position relative to said top plate 3|. Theclamping plates 3| have the openings 35 in said ofiset portions 43 in asimilar manner to that described in connection with the form of theinvention shown in Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive. It is, of course, ob-

vious that when the clamping plates 28' and 3| are clamped in positionby means of the screw-threaded headed fastening elements 31, the samewill rigidly secure the tubs 2| and 22 in fixed posit on relative toeach other, so that the same will not shift lengthwise of the members 3|and 28' nor transversely thereof. It will also be obvious that the tubs2| and 22' can be nested in a similar manner to the tubs 2| and 22 andthe various parts of the clampin means for connecting the tubs, thebraces, and the legs, nested within one of said tubs so as to make acompact package for shipping.

What I claim is:

1. In a portable tub structure, tubs. and means for supporting said tubscomprising legs on which said tubs are mounted and diagonal braces con-'necting said legs to form a framework having said, legs projectingupwardly from the corners thereof, said braces comprising a plurality ofmembers of angular cross section having flattened ends, means forsecuring one of said flattened ends ofueach of said members to a leg andclamping means for securing the other flattened ends of all said le'gstogether, comprising a pair of channel-shaped members arranged back toback, means for holding said channel-shaped -members against relativelongitudinal movement and means for clamping saidlother flattened endsin the channels of said members. r

, 2. In a tub support of the character described, a framework comprisingpairs of spaced upstanding legs and means preventing the separation ofsaid legs at thelower'ends thereof; comprising diagonal bracesconnecting said legs, said braces ing said other flattened ends in thechannels of said members, said channel-shaped members having flaringflanges with which said ends have 15 wedging engagement.

HARVEY E. MEYER.

